Baby Blue Marine

Marion “Hedge” Hedgepeth, a Marine recruit during World War II, washes out in recruit training in San Diego. He is sent home in an unadorned baby blue uniform, leftover military surplus, as most recruits sent their civilian clothes home, thus the derogatory designation Baby Blue Marine.

Traveling by bus to his home in St. Louis, Hedge meets a Marine Raider veteran at a stopover. The young, battle-scarred and highly decorated Marine has aged beyond his years with prematurely gray hair. As the Raider doesn't wish to return to the war, he knocks out Hedge and trades uniforms with him.

Now penniless, with only the Raider uniform for clothing, Hedge hitchhikes towards St. Louis. He enters the idyllic small town of Bidwell, California, below Mount Shasta. His uniform’s decorations and Raider shoulder-sleeve insignia make him a hero to the community, whose own young men are away at the war.

At the local diner, Hedge is befriended by waitress Rose, a recent high school graduate, and Mr. Elmore, a local who lost his son in the attack on Pearl Harbor. He also meets Army Private Danny Phelps, a local who just finished basic training and is awaiting assignment to the army typing pool.

Rose invites Hedge to stay with her family for a few days, where Hedge bunks with her brother, Barney. Rose and Hedge fall in love, and he eventually tells her the truth of his story, saying that he has chosen to stay quiet because he does not want the real Raider to get in trouble for deserting.

When three American-born teenaged boys escape from a local Japanese American internment camp, the camp’s small and inexperienced army troop is joined by the locals in searching the woods. Mr. Elmore reminds everyone that these are young American citizens, but some of the locals, particularly Private Phelps, seem hellbent on killing the “Japs”.

Hedge finds the boys first, and they admit that they are sick of being unfairly held and are (naively) trying to get home to San Francisco. Phelps spots the scene from a nearby ridge and shoots, hitting Hedge, who falls into the rapids of a rushing mountain stream. The Japanese-American boys, aided by Mr. Elmore and a repentant Phelps, barely save the heavily bleeding Hedge from drowning. Thinking he might die, Hedge tells Rose to tell everyone his true story.

When the war ends, Hedge returns to Bidwell and Rose, having served as a corporal under General Patton in the U.S. Third Army.

• Jan-Michael Vincent as Marion
• Glynnis O'Connor as Rose
• Katherine Helmond as Mrs. Hudkins
• Dana Elcar as Sheriff Wenzel
• Bert Remsen as Mr. Hudkins
• Bruno Kirby as Pop Mosley (as B. Kirby Jr.)
• Richard Gere as Raider
• Art Lund as Mr. Elmore
• Michael Conrad as Drill Instructor
• Allan Miller as Capt. Bittman
• Michael LeClair as Barney Hudkins
• Will Seltzer as Pvt. Phelps
• Kenneth Tobey as Buick Driver (as Ken Tobey)
• Lelia Goldoni as Mrs. Townsley
• Marshal Efron as Cook
• Barton Heyman as Barker
• Adam Arkin as Rupe
• Damon Douglas as Dobbs
• Barry Greenberg as Idiot #1
• John Blyth Barrymore as Idiot #2
• John Calvin as Paratrooper
• Richard Narita as Masamura
• Evan C. Kim as Harakawa (as Evan Kim)
• Keone Young as Katsu
• Phyllis Glick as Girl Behind Bus Counter
• William Martel as Bartender
• Warren Burton as Second Serviceman
• Abraham Alvarez as First Serviceman
• Bill Sorrells as Coach
• Carole White as Girl On Bus (as Carole Ita White)
• Duncan Gamble as Sailor
• Tita Bell as Girl #1
• Lani O'Grady as Girl #2
• Barbara Dodd as Mother
• Tom Lee McFadden as First Shore Patrolman
• James Carroll as Second Shore Patrolman (as James Lough)

Vincent also stars in Tribes, another film that features the Marine Corps.[1]

Film critic Roger Ebert gave the film 2½ out of 4 stars.[2]

• List of American films of 1976

• Baby Blue Marine at IMDb
• Baby Blue Marine at Rotten Tomatoes
• Baby Blue Marine at AllMovie
• Baby Blue Marine at the TCM Movie Database
• Baby Blue Marine at the American Film Institute Catalog